Related

VANCOUVER -- Rents are going up for the people who didn’t get a raise.

For residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that subsist on welfare, the housing shortage in Vancouver is going from bad to worse.

Even a room in an SRO, a single-room-occupancy building, with no cooking or private washroom facilities is now beyond the reach of Vancouver’s neediest residents. Rooms that once cost about the same as welfare’s monthly shelter allowance — $375 — now run to $500 a month and more.

According to the City of Vancouver, the percentage of private SROs renting at the $375 shelter rate fell to 27 per cent in 2011, from 39 per cent in 2009 and 67 per cent in 2007.

The rising rents, the impossibility of paying them while on welfare, and the lack of affordable alternatives such as social housing are exacerbating the anti-gentrification battle between Downtown Eastside residents and landlords.

But the city of Vancouver is defending landlords that are inching up the rents, especially those who are investing in renovations of once-decrepit buildings and trying to lure businesses to main-floor spaces to help pay for running the entire building.

Instead, the city points the finger of blame at the province.

“The real problem is affordability in Vancouver,” said city of Vancouver Councillor Kerry Jang, who says the $375-a-month welfare shelter allowance is a big part of the issue.

“There has only been one increase in shelter allowance in the province since 1992. The province needs to look closely at that.”

The average rent for privately owned SROs in Vancouver has hit $416. Many rent for $500 and up, and it’s not unusual for SROs to advertise on Craigs­list, trying to attract hipper, employed young people, students and artists.

York Rooms SRO at 259 Powell St. has become a flashpoint in the anti-gentrification battle on the Downtown Eastside that illustrates the range of the problem.

In July, Cuchillo, a hip tapas restaurant opened in the ground floor commercial space of York Rooms and instantly joined Pidgin restaurant as the target of picketers, anti-poverty advocates and local vitriol.

Last week, Pivot Legal Society staged a curbside news conference, claiming landlords had evicted at least two tenants from York Rooms and bribed others to leave so rents can be raised.

When Geoffrey Howes, spokesperson for landlord Living Balance, tried to respond, he was drowned out by hecklers shouting obscenities and claiming that a spate of wrongful evictions is an new tactic in the war to displace low-income residents.

Howes flatly denied the charges and the event devolved into a heated he-said, she-said street battle.

Howes said in a later interview that the company recently succeeded in legally evicting a tenant who was a drug dealer.

“We have had ongoing problems with rampant drug dealing in the building.” Howes said dealers would leave the alleyway door propped open, and threaten caretakers and other tenants. “We had strangers lining up in the hallway at all hours, needles everywhere.”

“We got support from the tenancy branch to evict the primary dealer,” he said, offering documentation from the branch to support his story.

(None of the former York Rooms tenants that Pivot says were bribed or displaced were on hand to substantiate the claims and no documents were presented.)

At the curbside event, anti-poverty activist Wendy Pederson accused Living Balance and other landlords of “renovictions” — renovations for the purpose of evicting some tenants.

Tensions between the city and the Downtown Eastside have risen since the city released a controversial draft plan for the neighbourhood that critics say puts local housing at risk, fails to deliver alternatives, and makes the neighbourhood more attractive to developers.

Jean Swanson of the Carnegie Community Action project said the city counts SROs as low-income housing stock, but doesn’t track the rent increases.

“We are in a terrible position having to argue to maintain the SROs. No one should have to live in an SRO. But with nowhere to go, we don’t want them to be pushed out, so that’s basically what we’ve got to do.”

But maintenance of privately owned SROs comes at a price.

Howes said Living Balance has invested “hundreds of thousands of dollars” on seismic upgrades, new lighting and other health and safety upgrades in the building and freely admits management is seeking tenants that can pay up to $500 a month for any available rooms.

It’s a process the company has already been through at the Lotus, 90 Alexander and the American Hotels on the Downtown Eastside. Part of Living Balance’s business model is making the rooms safe, clean and habitable. Another aspect is trying to attract viable businesses to renovated street-level spaces.

“We make our properties work by revitalizing commercial spaces,” Howes explained, adding the commercial rents, such as those paid by the controversial restaurant, help to subsidize the cost of housing lower income residents.

Jang, the city councillor, said small rent increases are reasonable as the city pushes owners to upgrade older, crumbling SRO buildings.

“We have an old building which is falling down, full of mice, rats and in bad shape. The landlord decides to fix it up and it costs him some money, but now the place is habitable. If it’s not fixed up and it falls down, everyone loses their home.”

Part of the solution is what’s not coming from Victoria: “The province has to seriously look at what they are providing on income assistance for shelter,” Jang said.

Don’t expect that to happen anytime soon.

In an email statement, Grant Kerr, a spokesman for Social Development Minister Don McRae, said: “When setting assistance rates, government is obligated to take a balanced approach between what is fair to individuals seeking assistance and what taxpayers can support.... Currently, we are not in a financial position to raise assistance rates in B.C.

“In the longer term, the premier has said on record that raising the rates is something she would like to do.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

With welfare rates frozen, even renting an SRO is often beyond Vancouver’s poorest

Saskatoon loves its Christmas lights. The Enchanted Forest draws thousands of vehicles each week. The late Bob Hinitt worked for months building his light display, which drew thousands of cars each year to Wiggins Avenue. And Scott Lambie on Clinkskill Drive has continued the tradition with more than 70,000 dancing lights (up from 50,000 last […]

When it comes to gift giving, they say it’s the thought that counts. But many are wondering if Mayor Drew Dilkens was thinking at all when he gave Olympic superstar Michael Phelps — whose battles with booze are well known — a big bottle of Canadian Club whisky.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.